Play the Gong, Heal the World

This month I am teaching students in China how to play the Gong. It’s my third time working with a translator, having previously done so in Spain and Chile. And I am discovering that the appreciation for the Gong as a healing instrument transcends cultures, countries, and languages.

Over the last five years, my wife and I have traveled to 15 countries, teaching sound healers, yoga teachers, and therapists how to play and use the gong for yoga, therapy, and healing. And while I only speak English, my book about the Gong has been translated into seven different languages.

Here is why the Gong has the power to bring people from around the world together:

The sound of the Gong is a language everyone can understand because it is based on pure tone and independent of any specific musical system or background.

The Gong speaks beyond words, meanings, and concepts. Its pure sound and primal tones are part of the sound that created the universe and present within each of us.

The Gong connects us to a universal experience of consciousness, much like yoga and meditation. Yet, unlike yoga and meditation, the Gong is easily accessible to everyone, if they simply relax and listen.

And the Gong is also one of most widely accessible musical instruments to learn to play.

I have no musical background (unless you count an unsuccessful attempt at the age of 11 to play the clarinet), yet I learned to play the Gong without any formal instruction (mainly because there was no one around 25 years ago to teach me).

Over the years of teaching people how to play the gong, I have discovered that people can start playing the gong with one or two days of training.

Of course, to play a Gong well is a lifelong practice, and there are many techniques and considerations to explore and learn. Yet the Gong is one of the easiest instruments to begin playing once you learn the basic techniques.

So if you enjoy the Gong, you should definitely consider learning how to play one!